The engine roared in protest as the speeder hit the face of the steeply rising slope.
After hopping out of the car, Ustad and his team climbed to the top of the ridge so they could orient themselves and assess the terrain from their new vantage point.
They need to determine the specific location of the Ministry of Justice's fortress as soon as possible.
He then took out a soothsayer detector magnetically attached to his waist to detect life reactions in the nearby area. The device would intermittently emit pulsed sound waves, and he needed to adjust the settings to filter out the world's native animals.
Behind him, the weapon man Upseus on another speed attack boat was conducting a visual assessment of the local area with a multi-functional telescope, while the soldiers of the third speed attack boat had already disembarked and were patrolling the surrounding area to prevent the enemy from carrying out blackmail.
Witchcraft to avoid being scanned by instruments.
Both of them did it with ease, belying the fact that they had only been in action a few times as new recruits.
At this time, the beeping sound from the oracle detector alerted Ustad.
The life response was weak, and it was six kilometers away from the current position, so he turned around and gave orders to the team members, but they had already boarded the speed attack boat and started to start the engine.
The reconnaissance team maintained a vantage point on the ridge and formed a single file, so that the anti-gravity engines would leave no trace, making it impossible for any would-be trackers to judge our numbers.
Although the ground is rough, this is not a problem at all for the Land Speeder. Whether it is bouncing among gravel or sliding on mud, it can maintain its speed near the top speed.
Then the team began to move.
Even at high speeds, Ustad's enhanced vision allows him to discern and remember his surroundings.
The squad leader ignored the greens and browns of distant tree crowns, constantly searching for other colors that might reveal the enemy's traces.
Suddenly, a flash of purple flashed past.
It might have been a piece of clothing or skin, but there was no doubt about it—it must have belonged to the enemy.
Ustad glanced behind him and everyone else confirmed the situation, but no one stopped or even slowed down.
The sound of the engines and the dust kicked up by the anti-gravity engines meant that the enemy knew that the Astartes were here, but they did not yet know that they had been discovered, and this information may prove to be crucial in subsequent engagements.
crucial.
More importantly, there are no settlements in this area, and the only possible stronghold for these enemies is the Ministry of Justice's fortress.
The speed boat continued to speed, and the forest turned into a blur of green. The noise from the engine drowned out the sound of snapping branches, and the low shrubs were crushed to pieces by the anti-gravity engine.
Behind Ustad, the second and third speed attack boats kept a safe distance so that they could react in time if the front car suddenly turned to avoid trees or other obstacles while traveling at high speed.
Everyone was ready for the coming battle, but Ustad knew that, like him, they all longed to hunt some kind of special prey.
"Sergeant, front."
Suddenly, a warning came from the communicator, and at the same time, the trees in front of Ustad exploded to pieces in a blinding flash of light.
The driver next to Ustad immediately swerved to avoid the burning forest, and the heavy bolters on the two speed attack craft behind him immediately opened fire at the source of the beam.
Soon, a burst of bullets came back at them, and they had to turn the car around to avoid being hit.
Then, another rocket hit the ground, this time the impact point was closer to Ustad, and even burned the paint on the front cover of the speed attack craft.
He also fired back in the direction where the beam came from, but the thick black smoke that filled the forest at this time made it impossible for him to be sure whether he hit the target.
"Captain, have you encountered the enemy? Have you seen the target clearly?"
"Yes, lasers, rockets and heavy logging guns, smoke obscuration, I can't see the enemy, but based on the firing frequency, I estimate there are five to six."
After speaking, a few more bullets hit the armor of the speed attack boat, as if to emphasize his judgment.
"We're going to draw them out and plant mines on the road."
"Copy that, we'll make a big circle."
The pilots of the three speed attack boats gestured to each other and then quickly dispersed.
Another beam of light hit the spot where Ustad's car had just passed. All three speed attack boats turned around in order, and drove back in the direction they had just come from amid the thick dust mist stirred up by the anti-gravity engines.
They returned along the same path, then accelerated around the enemies blocking their way, constantly dropping small, ticking mines.
At this time, a burst of live ammunition was fired at them, and Ustad was shot in the shoulder, but those weak bullets directly hit the plastic steel and shattered into pieces.
The pilot immediately increased the speed to maximum speed, and Ustad glanced behind him and saw traitors wearing colorful armor chasing out of the forest, chasing the Space Marines in vain.
They were not on foot. They were also driving various types of machines. The dust and oil smoke kicked up by dozens of half-track motorcycles and small trucks formed a wall with various weapons mounted on it.
The chase between the two sides lasted for a minute, and the enemy was gradually dragged out of the forest.
"Turn around!"
Ustad gave an order, and the two speed attack boats quickly separated from the left and right, while the speed boat he was on turned around and rushed towards the enemy.
The cultists didn't seem to expect this, and were stunned for a moment.
"Destroy the heretics!"
Ustad, who was sitting in his seat, roared and pulled the trigger, and then the heavy bolter loaded in front of the driver's seat opened fire, pouring a stream of bolts into the enemy lines.
The red tracer bullets stood out in the dusty air, and the heretics and their vehicles exploded together.
The angry cultists then cursed and fired back, but although their weapons were numerous, they were far less powerful than the Space Marines' bolters.
More importantly, the thrust-to-weight ratio of their vehicles' engines was too small, and the recoil produced by weapon firing caused the entire vehicle to sway and the bullets fired flew everywhere.
The battlefield was suddenly filled with the sound of engines and flying dust.
Ustad kept looking left and right while shooting. His team was maintaining a perfect formation, and two speed attack boats quickly attacked the enemy's horizontal formation from the left and right sides.
Although they have also entered the opponent's effective shooting range, the cultists' attention has been completely attracted by Ustad.
Although the weapon has a significant negative effect on the vehicle's direction of travel, the cultists' weapons fire so many bullets that some will always hit the target.
The heavy projectile hit the front cover of the speed attack craft, bounced off the armor plate, and hit the power armor of the two Astartes, making a clanging sound.